Natural
by SoundShield11
Summary: Jake is faced with a decision after he's imprinted on by Seth. Join him as he thinks back on their life together before making the choice that will alter their futures. Will he accept the imprint or reject the younger wolf? Slash M/M, but nothing that isn't PG.


AN: I'd be lying if I said that I expected to write something again. This one shot is a good bit lighter than most of what I've written in the past. It is a Jake/Seth pairing that is told entirely from Jake's POV. Not really any plot to it, but I felt like writing a simple story. This was just an idea that came to me and I had nothing better to do this afternoon than to write it down. Some things don't follow the original, but it's not too far off. All mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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I walked through the woods, slowly making my way towards the beach. I still hadn't been able to figure out what to do. Tonight was the night that I had to make my decision. A decision that would dictate the fate of two lives. A decision about my imprinter: Seth Clearwater.

Yes, tonight was the night of the sacred bonfire that was held after a wolf imprints. It's tradition that shortly after an imprint is forged, the pair agrees to the sacred vows that the original wolves devised. That is, if the imprintee is willing to do it.

Seth imprinted on me the day he phased, 7 long days ago. I had always thought of him as a little brother, but this was something completely different. Imprints were given to wolves to help find their soulmates as a way to make this duty more bearable. They provided you with a person to come home to after a long day of patrols and someone that you would never have to lie to when you were out all night hunting.

An imprint between two wolves had only happened once in our tribe's history. It also marked one of the few documented times where an imprint was rejected. The imprinter had been the alpha of the pack, tying himself to a smaller wolf that had just phased the first time. The submissive (as he was called) had denied the older wolf, refusing to be tied to another male. The alpha had ended his life that night – as well as his bloodline – forcing his beta to take his place. Since then, the Black family has held the alpha gene.

I knew that I was running out of time as I saw the flames flickering from beyond the tree line. I thought back to what my father had said when I told him about the imprint.

**Flashback**

"_Dad…I don't know what to do." I said quietly, kneeling in front of his chair. He had always been the person I could go to when I was confused. He was a wise man who believed heavily in the guiding power of the spirits. I expected him to tell me that I should follow fate's path, but he surprised me when he didn't try to lead me in either direction._

"_Son, I can't tell you how to make a decision like this. I just have to trust you and you have to trust yourself. You know what the likely outcomes are on both sides of the coin. Of course, the middle ground is offering to try to remain close and not have further feelings, but we both know that it never truly works that way. In the end, you have to do what you feel is best. Do what feels natural." He said, running his hand through my hair._

**End of Flashback**

Do what feels natural? Those cryptic words had left me thinking about my life growing up. Seth had been my first best friend. He was two years younger than me, but we had grown close from the minute that I found him being bullied in elementary school. He had always been smaller than everyone else and it felt right to protect him from the kids my age.

When I went to junior high, we had drifted apart. I began hanging out more with Quil and Embry, occasionally shunning him in favor of my new best friends. For a while he had hung out with us, but the other two grew annoyed with the bubbly attitude that I had come to love. He quickly took the hint and although we did see each other sometimes, we weren't able to talk much. He had grown closer to Collin and Brady since they were around his age and eventually he stopped seeking me out. Deep down it hurt knowing that I had been replaceable, but I guess I had done the same to him.

The day that Harry had passed away, I realized what my priorities really were. It was freshman year and Quil, Embry, and I had been planning on going out to our first high school party. I was dressed nicely, hoping to impress some girl that night. When dad came in with tears in his eyes, I knew that something had gone poorly. When he explained about Harry, I was stunned. "Dad, I need to…" I stammered out. He pulled me into a tight hug, knowing what the sentence would end with. "Go. Take care of him." He said softly. He knew I wanted to be there as a good son, but Seth needed me.

At first I had sought him out as his home, but Sue shook her head when I knocked on the door. I pulled her in for a hug before sprinting away. There was only one other place that he would be. Sure enough, I heard the sobs coming from the giant hollowed out tree that we had setup as our hideout years ago. I slipped inside as the rain began to pour.

That night I had held Seth as he cried quietly. It tore me up to see his happy face distorted in so much sadness and pain. The two had been close and I knew he wouldn't recover from this for a while. At first it had been nothing but tears, but eventually he started telling stories about the two of them growing up. Harry had been a role model for fatherhood. I began telling him about how I had handled my mother's passing a couple of years ago, a time before Seth could really understand death and its consequences. I talked about living to honor her memory and that I knew she would want me to be happy. I didn't expect it to happen overnight, but we both knew Harry would want his son to move on.

For weeks after that, I made sure that I was there with Seth, often turning down Quil & Embry when they asked to hangout. We spent most of our time just talking, occasionally distracting ourselves with things like video games. The moments that I could get a smile out of him felt like great accomplishments.

After Seth had returned to some semblance of normalcy, I made sure he knew that he was welcome to hang out with me whenever he wanted. Quil and Embry could both empathize to a certain extent, neither having had their fathers in their lives. They welcomed him into our group without question this time, both helping to take his mind off of his loss.

The year after that had been pretty cool. We all grew to be close, giving Seth pointers as he entered the 8th grade. I was looking forward to when he would come up to high school with us. Then I phased, forcing me to abandon him once again. We were at winter break of sophomore year and I had gotten pissed at Bella, the girl I was obsessed with. We had gone to the movies and I finally thought I had gotten a chance, but she had shown up with one of the Cullens. I was practically foaming at the mouth when he told me that I needed to leave before I endangered someone. Little did I know that he was right, as I burst into fur after rolling out of my Rabbit on the side of the road.

That semester had been hard. I didn't have the control to stay around other people, so I was forced to hang out with Paul and Jared. Fortunately Embry and Quil followed suit in the coming months, but that meant that none of us could risk being around Seth. New wolves were unstable and since it was a secret to those who hadn't joined yet, Seth was left out in the cold.

That all ended last week. Seth had gotten into a fight with Leah, earning a slap across the face when he mentioned Sam abandoning her for Emily. He knew it was a low blow, but he was so angry about everything else that he had retaliated with it after she had screamed that his childishness was the reason no one wanted to be around him. Seth's phasing wasn't too surprising (even if it was at a younger age than the rest of us), but we were shocked to see him fighting with a female wolf of similar size. Leah had pinned Seth to the ground, clearly having overwhelmed her brother. She was baring her teeth and growling at him before I knocked her off of him, suddenly furious that she had attacked him. Even though I knew this would be a challenging change for Seth, I was happy that I would be able to have my friend back. That emotion changed the moment I looked down at the sandy-colored wolf, quickly being replaced by confusion and shock.

As I approached the fire, I saw Seth seated, staring into the flames. His face was a mask, his trademark smile nowhere to be seen. I met his eyes for the first time since the imprint, overwhelmed by the flurry of emotions inside. He might be hiding it from everyone else, but I could see the fear there. I could also see the immense amount of love that was present.

I flicked my head over to the side and he immediately stood up and began walking towards the cliffs. I could tell that he was tense as he sat down beside me, not daring to look at me. We sat in silence for a few minutes, both deep in thought.

"Listen Jake. It's alright, either way. I know you never wanted this and I care about you too much to try to take away your freedom. We both know what will happen, but I've accepted it if it means you're happy. I don't want you to base this on what it means for me." Seth said quietly. I could tell that he was holding back tears, but he was guided by the imprint to look out for me. Then again, he was always selfless, even if this was at a whole new level.

**Flashback**

_I was 12 and Seth had gotten dropped off at the theater before any of us. His mom had bought his ticket and left when she saw us coming, planning to pick all of us up after the movie. We had been dropped off by Quil's mom and as we walked up to the counter, I realized that I had left the money my dad had given me at home. Seth had offered up his ticket without hesitation, knowing how much I wanted to see the movie. Fortunately Sue had come back to give Seth some money to cover popcorn and bought my ticket, but the fact was that Seth had always tried to make me happy._

**End of Flashback**

That's when it truly hit me. My dad hadn't been cryptic when he said to do what feels natural. I had never felt romantic feelings for Seth, but I always knew that what we shared was more than just friendship. I knew how he'd react to everything, never failing to be there when I knew he'd need someone. It was almost an instinct that led me to always keep an eye on him.

I looked at Seth in a new light. Even if all of my feelings had been platonic, how could I ever dream of hurting him? Seth already meant more to me than anyone else and there was no way I'd have preferred to just imprint on a stranger. I loved Seth and even if I wasn't in love with him, I knew I had to try to make this work.

I placed my hand gently on his cheek and turned his face to mine. He tensed up slightly as my lips met his. I was careful at first, relaxing only when I felt him melt against me. After a few seconds, we pulled apart.

"But Jake…" he whispered before I cut him off with a finger to his lips.

"Seth, I'd be lying if I said that I expected this to happen. In the end, fate guided you towards me, but we've been there for each other through everything. With you, I know I'll never be judged or forced to do anything that isn't in my best interest. You've always looked out for what's best for me. Being with you is just…natural." I said, pulling him closer to me.

"I think I've loved you for a long time." He murmured against my shoulder.

"I love you too Seth. I don't know if I'm ready to move forward with things quickly, but I am willing to try to make this work." I said, standing up and extending my arm. He took it quickly and we walked back to the fire, ready for the ceremony and to set the foundations for the rest of our lives.

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AN: Well, guess I sated the writing itch again. I don't expect there will be another chapter or anything for this. Just a simple, fluff-based one shot. Hope you enjoyed it!


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